carpel tunel and editing

This is not a direct FCP issue, but it's one that might affect most of us so I hope it doesn't get taken away from here.

Ok, so I have been an editor for 12 years now and I guess all the clicking has caused my right index finger to be really sore. The paint goes all the way to my arm. Has anyone experience something like this?

Is apple contemplating touchscreen editing for FCP?

I personally haven't experienced that myself, touch wood, but I sympathize. For a while I was a "professional" writer ? in the sense that I did it for a living, not in the sense that I actually earned any income to speak of with it ? and the slight soreness and burning sensation in the backs of my hands was very real.

I know a lot of Final Cut editors who swear by a tablet. That's just replacing one repetitive motion with another, obviously, but maybe that's what you need: to mix it up, so you're not putting all the wear on one set of joints.

That said, I think the best advice you're gonna get is "talk to a doctor." If it's purely inflammation, he or she might end up suggesting a drug like Celebrex or another COX-2 inhibitor to take the discomfort away. And if it's more than that, and you're actually damaging your arm/hand/whatever, you'll at least have a chance to find out for sure before it get any worse.

Indeed talk to your doctor. I don't think touchscreen anything would make this better - just worse. A good wacom is, for me, the way to go. Others swear by trackballs.

Graeme

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Tablet - That's just replacing one repetitive motion with another

Well after 18 years of using a tablet for more hours of the day than I sleep I can assure you unless you are cack-handed (or seriously repeating an awkward move) you won't get RSI from using a tablet.

In fact my keyboard hand is the one that gets a twinge every now and then...

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but maybe that's what you need: to mix it up, so you're not putting all the wear on one set of joints.

Definitely a good idea - and to take regular breaks - not least for your eyes!



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Do a forum search. There have been many in-depth discussions of the Tablet vs the mouse in this respect. I personally have been using the tablet since I started in this business so it was never an issue with me.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

My aunt (an emmy award winning editor) got carpel tunnel really bad. She switched to a tablet, way down low on a seperate table along with a wrist brace.

I'm not a huge fan of the tablet personally, I just couldn't get a feel for it after a week. I figured that was enough time. to really give it a feel. I'm also not a big fan of trackballs.

For me, I have found that proper wrist angle, a correctly positioned heigh chair wise, will prevent a lot of the pain for me, as if your wrist was in a brace. I like to use higher humped mice (how's that for a description).

Now the only trouble I sometimes run into is stiff finger syndrome on my index finger. Doesn't hurt, just can't bend it. lol.

I have carpel tunnel syndrome and have been tested for it. I had surgery on my right wrist about 6 years ago. Here is a quick test you can do to yourself. Turn your wrist over (the same side as your palm). Use your other hand and take two fingers and tap your bad wrist. Keep tapping. If you got a shock, you most likely have carpel tunnel syndrome. The other test is fun? not really. They wire you up and electrocute you. Every time they hit the switch you jump out of the chair. They have to do a series of this over and over. It shows how fast the signal cycles from your spine to your hand. If you have carpel tunnel syndrome, it will show a slow down in the carpel tunnel of your wrist. Also do you wakeup in the morning and your hand feels like pins and needles? It will only happen to four fingers? good luck!

i have a desk that is shaped like the letter 'L'. my right hand is my mouse hand and i tend to sorta rest my arm on the desk with the knob of my elbow lower than my palm. This is comfortable but my elbow is alway in direct contact with the desk.
I was told that this is a bad idea and that getting on of those foam or beaded bean bag like thingys would help. sometimes i put is at my elbow sometimes about 4 inches up my arm from my wrist.

I get periodic pain in a 5 inch circle around my wrist. but when i change the bean bag position I can keep working and a few minutes later the pain is less ( gone in 3hrs).

Now. I have 2 mouses and 1 tablet. so i switch every 10 days or so. MX revolution 10 - 15 days, VX 1100 10-15 days, tablet 3-7 days. i started doing this in November and i have had no pain since.

Your elbow position may be a big part of the problem also. The height at which you sit can effect this.
OH, and the position in which the mouse eye is under the mouse is big too. I always use right justified or front-center justified mouses. It changes how your eye to hand coordination works. Meaning your see that you need to move the cursor 10 pixels to the left but your hand movement has to go +/- 10 pixels to make it happen.

Another thing is actually using hand weights to do some hand and wrist exercises. ( wrist curls, hammer curls, push ups and so on) Your muscles need to be toned to reduce the pain.

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

Have you seen the carpel tunnel keyboard?

that keyboard looks cool, but the issue is not the keyboard, the issue is the mouse. I have 3 different mice on my desk, including the joystick mouse by 3M to use different muscles everyday.

But the main issue is the index finger and palm. I think this is happening from clicking all day long. My finger hurt and the pain radiates all the way to my hand.

This might be an inadvertently insulting suggestion, but maybe try using the keyboard exclusively for a while? There are precious few functions in Final Cut that require the mouse; there are a few, but not that many. Maybe mix it up by using the keyboard except when you absolutely can't?

oh it's not insulting at all...I actually use the keyboard about as much as I use the mouse. Sometimes it looks like I am typing rather than editing. -

alexedit Wrote:
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> I actually use the keyboard about as much as I use the mouse.

That's interesting. I'd say I use the keyboard way more than the mouse. Consequently, I get pain in my left wrist. Sounds as though some boffin should do a study of FCP keyboard/mouse utilisation ratios.